Technology is taking a lot of the surprise out of our lives, which can often be a good thing. Take, for instance, the Veiu Smart Video Doorbell. This device lets you see who’s at your door from anywhere in the world, whether you’re just hanging out at home or slaving away at the office. It’s a great option if you’re worried about burglars or want to be efficient and able to communicate with visitors when you aren’t home.

The doorbell’s video and snapshot options are activated by a Motion Sensor, so even if someone doesn’t ring it, you’ll know that they’re outside (and not just on the doorstep, because the camera can see everything within a 180-degree range thanks to its wide-angle lens). You can even program your VEIU to take a snapshot, send an alert to your phone, or start recording as soon as it detects movement.

We particularly like the fact that you can use your smartphone to speak with your visitors, even if you’re not in the house (imagine having a conversation with the delivery person who wants permission to leave a package at the door, for example). To make things even better, the VEIU is also capable of recording audio, so you can keep a digital record of all the conversations you have on it. It only takes five minutes to set up, the company assures us, and you won’t need to replace your current doorbell for it to work.

If you love to know what’s going on at all times, you’ll be glad to hear that you can use the doorbell to check the view outside your front door even if no one has set off the motion sensor. And if the device isn’t connected to your smartphone, you can still capture photos and videos with it — even at night.

Of course, if you want to use all the bells and whistles, you’ll need full-time Wi-Fi access, but if there’s a disruption in your connection, no worries — the images and audio recordings will be saved locally.

Another handy feature is the “detection sensitivity”setting, which you can tinker with to meet your needs. Say you have a slew of stray cats that just love to use your front yard as a meeting place or thoroughfare. When you’ve taken more than your fair share of video of the feline intruders, simply adjust the sensitivity setting so they don’t trip the motion sensor every time they cross your porch.

The VEIU developers report that they are currently working on facial recognition capabilities, which would allow the unit to recognize friends and family (and perhaps alert you if someone you want to avoid comes to the door?!). They also want to make it possible to use the VIEU in tandem with other smart appliances, making the smart home experience as complete as possible.